True Blue LA - August 16: Dodgers 2, Reds 1Where The Dodger Dogs Are Always Grilledhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49563/truebluela_fav.png2015-08-16T17:47:50-07:00http://www.truebluela.com/rss/stream/89264262015-08-16T17:47:50-07:002015-08-16T17:47:50-07:00Jansen's busy Sunday
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<p>LOS ANGELES -- <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> closer <span>Kenley Jansen</span> had quite a day on Sunday, unlike any other this year. It began with waking up at 4 a.m., too excited to sleep.</p>
<p>His son, Kaden Isaiah, was born at 9:58 a.m., with labor induced, trying to plan the birth so Jansen wouldn't miss any games.</p>
<p>Jansen didn't get to the stadium until 12:30 p.m., not to far from the 1:10 p.m. first pitch. He threw the last pitch, too, completing his 24th save of the season.</p>
<p>"It felt weird getting here [late]," Jansen said. "It was fun. It was a very exciting day for me. Even without much sleep, I was going by the excitement and feeding off that."</p>
<p>The excitement started in the eighth inning, with two outs and <span>Joey Votto</span> on first. <span>Todd Frazier</span> and his 29 home runs were at the plate, and Jansen entered a tad earlier than normally.</p>
<p>"Right now, in August, I'm definitely ready. Things are starting to get tight, I have to get ready for four-out saves," Jansen said. "I'm aware of it, and I'm ready whenever they need it."</p>
<p>Manager Don Mattingly said he would be judicious when using Jansen to pitch more than one inning, something he hadn't done before Sunday. That Jansen only threw once in the last three days, and 13 pitches at that, coupled with Monday's off day, made Sunday an ideal situation to extend Jansen.</p>
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<p>Mattingly said he wasn't worried about Jansen being distracted or not ready after the birth of a son.</p>
<p>"I went through a few of those, and it's almost kind of energizing," Mattingly said.</p>
<p>The four outs recorded matched the longest save of Jansen's career, <a target="_blank" href="http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/bz5B9">done seven other times</a>. Jansen had several outings longer than one inning when he pitched in setup roles.</p>
<p>But Jansen is firmly entrenched as Dodgers closer now, and has emerged as one of the best relievers in baseball.</p>
<p>"You have to start thinking about Kenley [as one of the best in the game]," Mattingly said. "He constantly keeps doing it, and doesn't seem to be going away."</p>
<p>"I've been doing it consistently for a while. I'm not going to worry about stuff that people are going to say," Jansen said. "For me, it's just knowing who I am. But when you talk to a couple of hitters, when they face me, they're going to tell you how tough I am."</p>
<p>Jansen's save on Sunday was the 130th of his career, passing Jeff Shaw for second place on the all-time Dodgers list.</p>
<p>He has struck out 59 of his 122 batters faced, a 48.4-percent strikeout rate that is not only a career high, but second in baseball this year to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> reliever <span>Carter Capps</span>, he of the electric slide delivery.</p>
<p>But what sets Jansen apart is that he has walked only four all season. He has 14 strikeouts since his last walk, which came on Aug. 1.</p>
<p>Jansen's 45.1-percent K-BB% is the best ever, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=30&type=1&season=2015&month=0&season1=1900&ind=1&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=10,d">per FanGraphs</a>, among pitchers with at least 30 innings in a season..</p>
<p>"I always attack guys, so you just have to trust in your stuff and what you got, and location. Also, with the stuff I have it's going to be tough on hitters if I get ahead early, so that's what I'm focusing on," Jansen said. "To me, always at this point of the season, the closer I get to the playoffs, I'm more dialed in. My focus this year is more dialed in."</p>
<h4>Up next</h4>
<p>The Dodgers have Monday off, when they will travel to the Bay Area. The players are allowed to deviate from the usual business attire while traveling on Monday; they can wear football jerseys since the team will hold its fantasy football draft on Monday night in San Francisco.</p>
<p>The club plays two games against the A's in Oakland, the rematch of a two-game set three weeks ago at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will send <span>Clayton Kershaw</span> to the mound in the opener, while the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics</a> are still technically TBD.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2015/8/16/9162899/kenley-jansen-son-birth-strikeouts-savesEric Stephen2015-08-16T15:51:29-07:002015-08-16T15:51:29-07:00Greinke overpowers Reds
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<figcaption>Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>LOS ANGELES -- In the span of two pitches, <span>Joc Pederson</span> and <span>Zack Greinke</span> turned the game around, giving the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> a 2-1 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, closing out the extended four-game weekend series with three straight wins.</p>
<p>On another oppressively hot day at Dodger Stadium (game-time temperature was 98 degrees), runs were at a premium with both Greinke and <span>Anthony DeSclafani</span> at the top of their games.</p>
<p>So when the Reds scratched across a run in the top of the fifth inning, there was an uneasy feeling among the crowd at Dodger Stadium, or at least there would have been if it wasn't too hot to move even the slightest bit.</p>
<p>After Marlon Byrd opened the frame with a single to left field, catcher <span>Tucker Barnhart</span> lined a ball to short right field, where <span>Yasiel Puig</span> had a beat on it but came up on the wrong end of a do-or-die decision to dive, allowing the ball to get past him for a double, advancing Tucker to third base. One out later, a <span>Billy Hamilton</span> sacrifice fly brought home the run for a 1-0 Cincinnati advantage.</p>
<p>It snapped a streak of 13 straight scoreless innings by Greinke.</p>
<p>But with one out in the bottom of the inning, Joc Pederson launched a ball well into the pavilion in left center field to tie the score. On the very next pitch, Greinke hit a ball over the fence in straightaway center field for a 2-1 lead.</p>
<p>It was Greinke's second home run of the year, and his second home run in three starts in August, the first Dodgers pitcher to hit two home runs in a single month since Darren Dreifort in August 2000.</p>
<p>Dreifort's home runs came in the same game, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN200008080.shtml">on Aug. 8, 2000</a> against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> at Dodger Stadium. That was also the last year that a Dodgers pitcher had two home runs in the same <i>season</i>, with Dreifort hitting three and <span>Chan Ho Park</span> two.</p>
<p>On the mound, Greinke was his usual self, allowing just the one run in seven innings of work, with eight strikeouts and a walk. Greinke has allowed zero or one run 17 times in 24 starts this season. The last Dodgers pitcher with more such starts was Andy Messersmith, with 19 in 1975.</p>
<p>Greinke stranded runners in scoring position in the first and seventh, and in the seventh had two runners on with one out. But after a brief mound visit from manager Don Mattingly Greinke ended his day getting pinch-hitter Skip Schumaker and center fielder Billy Hamilton to end the threat.</p>
<p>"He had to work today," Mattingly said. "It wasn't one of those cruisers."</p>
<p>For his efforts, Greinke's ERA lowered from 1.5916 to 1.5786.</p>
<p>Since joining the Dodgers, Zack Greinke has a 2.04 ERA in 43 starts at Dodger Stadium.</p>
<p>Greinke has allowed one run over his last two starts, after allowing (gasp!) 10 runs over his previous three starts, a stretch that was his worst of the year.</p>
<p>"Today felt good, and maybe the last game too. But this past month I was struggling a little bit, to be as good as I was earlier in the year," Greinke said. "I'm happy to be back pitching like I was."</p>
<p>The last Dodgers pitcher whose home run was the deciding run in a one-run win was <span>Odalis Perez</span>, who produced the only run in <a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN200208280.shtml">a 1-0 win over Arizona on Aug. 28, 2002</a>.</p>
<p>In the eighth inning, <span>Pedro Baez</span> got the first two outs, then lefty reliever <span>J.P. Howell</span> walked <span>Joey Votto</span> in a six-pitch battle. That brought in <span>Kenley Jansen</span>, fresh off the birth of his son on Sunday morning.</p>
<p>Jansen struck out <span>Todd Frazier</span> on six pitches to end the eighth, then pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 24th save. It was the first save and appearance longer than one inning for Jansen <a target="_blank" href="http://www.truebluela.com/2014/8/14/6002675/dee-gordon-drew-butera-dodgers-braves-recap">since Aug. 14, 2014</a>.</p>
<h4>Sunday particulars</h4>
<p><b>Home runs</b>: Joc Pederson (23), Zack Greinke (2)</p>
<p><b>WP - Zack Greinke (13-2)</b>: 7 IP, 6 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts</p>
<p><b>LP - Anthony DeSclafani (7-8)</b>: 6 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts</p>
<p><b>Sv - Kenley Jansen (24)</b>: 1⅓ IP, 2 strikeouts</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2015/8/16/9162725/zack-greinke-home-run-dodgers-recap-redsEric Stephen2015-08-16T12:29:00-07:002015-08-16T12:29:00-07:00Puig on the upswing
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>LOS ANGELES -- <span>Yasiel Puig</span> is back in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> starting lineup on Sunday afternoon against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a>, which normally wouldn't be news but this is his seventh consecutive start after sitting once a series of late.</p>
<p>Puig homered on Saturday, his second on the homestand, during which he is 6-for-22 (.273) with a triple and six RBI.</p>
<p>In his last 11 games, Puig is hitting .250/.308/.556 with three home runs and nine RBI, after making changes in his batting stance, attempting to shorten his swing.</p>
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<h4>Starting Lineups <br>
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<table class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2">
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<tr>
<td colspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#ff0000" width="125"><font color="#ffffff"><b>Reds</b></font></td>
<td colspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#1e90ff" width="125"><font color="#ffffff"><b>Dodgers</b></font></td>
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<td>2B</td>
<td>Phillips</td>
<td>SS</td>
<td>Rollins (S)<br>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SS</td>
<td>Suarez</td>
<td>2B<br>
</td>
<td>Hernandez<br>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1B</td>
<td>Votto (L)</td>
<td>1B</td>
<td>Gonzalez (L)</td>
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<td>3B</td>
<td>Frazier</td>
<td>3B</td>
<td>Turner</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>LF</td>
<td>Bruce (L)<br>
</td>
<td>LF</td>
<td>Ethier (L)<br>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>RF</td>
<td>Byrd</td>
<td>RF<br>
</td>
<td>Puig<br>
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<td>C</td>
<td>Barnhart</td>
<td>C<br>
</td>
<td>Grandal (S)</td>
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<td>P</td>
<td>DeSclafani</td>
<td>CF</td>
<td>Pederson (L)</td>
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<td>CF</td>
<td>Hamilton (S)</td>
<td>P</td>
<td>Greinke<br>
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<span><b>Location</b>: Dodger Stadium<br> <b>Time</b>: 1:10 p.m. PT<br> <b>TV</b>: SportsNet LA<br></span>
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<p>"To me mechanically he looks a lot better. Just watching his BP yesterday, keeping an eye on him, seeing the subtle changes of him being a little more open with his foot, getting more square with his legs," manager Don Mattingly said. "He seems a lot more balanced."</p>
<p>Puig sat out of the starting lineup once for the last five three-game series before this week.</p>
<p>Dodgers closer <span>Kenley Jansen</span> had a baby boy on Sunday morning, Kaden Isaish Jansen, born at 9:58 a.m. He is expected to be available if needed to pitch on Sunday.</p>
<p>"This was planned," Mattingly said. "As of right now, if there are no complications he's going to be in Oakland for those games. I don't think he had any plans of missing a game."</p>
<p>Jansen has converted 16 straight save opportunities, and has 23 saves in 24 opportunities this season.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2015/8/16/9162235/yasiel-puig-improving-swingEric Stephen2015-08-16T09:45:12-07:002015-08-16T09:45:12-07:00Greinke, Dodgers have been strong at home
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<figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>LOS ANGELES -- The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> look to win their series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> and close out their homestand on a high note on Sunday, seeking a third straight win over Cincinnati.</p>
<p>The Dodgers are also looking to continue their remarkable play at Dodger Stadium. The club is 41-20 at home this season, tied with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a> for the fourth-best home mark in baseball.</p>
<p>Home field advantage is up in 2015 across baseball, with hosts boasting a .553 winning percentage. In the previous four years home field winning percentage has ranged between .526 and .538. The last time home teams won this often was in 2010, with a .559 winning percentage.</p>
<p>At 41-20 (.672), the Dodgers right now have their highest home winning percentage since moving to Los Angeles in 1958. The 1980 team, which played (and lost) an extra home game to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> for the National League West, owns the top L.A. Dodgers home mark at 55-27 (.671), with the 1978 and 1991 teams chiming in at 54-27 (.667).</p>
<p>The franchise mark was set in 1953, with the mightiest of the Brooklyn teams going 60-17 (.779) at Ebbets Field.</p>
<p><span>Zack Greinke</span> will try to add to that home mark on Sunday, looking to win his eighth straight decision.</p>
<p>Since joining the Dodgers, Greinke is 24-5 with a 2.05 ERA in 42 starts at Dodger Stadium, with 274 strikeouts and 49 walks in 280⅓ innings.</p>
<p>Earlier this week there was a scoring change from Greinke's Aug. 6 start in Philadelphia. The leadoff single by <span>Cesar Hernandez</span>, the play on which Greinke made a throwing error that allowed Hernandez to advance to second base, was changed to a two-base error on Greinke. That removes an earned from Greinke's ledger, and lowered his ERA on the season to 1.59.</p>
<p><span>Anthony DeSclafani</span> looks for his fifth straight quality start for the Reds, putting up a 2.77 ERA with 20 strikeouts and six walks in 26 innings over his last four starts.</p>
<h4>Game info</h4>
<p>Time: 1:10 p.m. PT</p>
<p>TV: SportsNet LA</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2015/8/16/9161695/zack-greinke-dodgers-home-reds-previewEric Stephen2015-08-13T10:44:42-07:002015-08-13T10:44:42-07:00Dodgers-Reds probable pitchers
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<figcaption>Jared Wickerham/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>LOS ANGELES -- The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> welcome the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> to town for four games, and with <span>Johnny Cueto</span> and <span>Mike Leake</span> traded Cincinnati has some new blood in its starting rotation. Here is a look at the probable pitchers for this weekend at Dodger Stadium.</p>
<h4>Thursday, 7:10 p.m. PT (SportsNet LA, MLB Network)</h4>
<p><span>Mat Latos</span> has had one effective start as a Dodger, and one ineffective start with his new team, and has struck out one of his 42 batters faced with Los Angeles. Since getting called up at the end of July, <span>Keyvius Sampson</span> has 12 strikeouts and four walks in 12 innings with a 3.00 ERA. This will be his fourth major league appearance, and third major league start.</p>
<h4>Friday, 7:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA)</h4>
<p>In his two starts as a Dodger, <span>Alex Wood</span> has held opponents to hitting .265/.278/.412 the first two times through the order, with 11 strikeouts and one walk. But after that, batters are hitting .333/.529/.583, with four walks and two strikeouts in 17 plate appearances. This will mark his home Dodgers debut. <span>Anthony DeSclafani</span>, who was traded in the offseason from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> for Latos, has four straight quality starts. He made his major league debut at Dodger Stadium with Miami on May 14, 2014; <span>Drew Butera</span> pitched in that game, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.truebluela.com/2014/5/14/5719646/drew-butera-pitcher">and pitched quite well</a>.</p>
<h4>Saturday, 6:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA)</h4>
<p><span>Brett Anderson</span> is coming off his worst start of the year, allowing seven runs in five innings against Washington on Monday. The Reds are hitting .246/.311/.415 against lefties this season, fourth in the National League in OPS and their 37 home runs against southpaws are 12 more than any other NL team. Fellow left-hander <span>David Holmberg</span>, like Sampson, joined the rotation after the Reds trades, and has a 3.06 ERA in three starts, though with nearly as many walks (nine) as strikeouts (12) in 17⅔ innings.</p>
<h4>Sunday, 1:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA)</h4>
<p><span>Zack Greinke</span> has won seven straight decisions and has allowed 10 runs and 11 walks in his last 10 starts, with 67 strikeouts. Former Cal State Fullerton pitcher <span>Michael Lorenzen</span> has lost six straight decisions, and in five starts since the break has allowed 27 runs on 31 hits in just 19⅓ innings (a 12.57 ERA), with 14 walks and 18 strikeouts.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2015/8/13/9146857/dodgers-reds-starting-pitchers-scheduleEric Stephen2015-08-13T05:59:01-07:002015-08-13T05:59:01-07:00Dodgers-Reds series snapshot
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<figcaption>Harry How/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>LOS ANGELES -- The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> conclude their seven-game homestand with an extended weekend series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a>. Here is a quick overview of both teams heading into the four-game set at Dodger Stadium.</p>
<p>Teams: Dodgers (64-50) at Reds (50-62)</p>
<p>Split records: Dodgers at home (39-19), Reds on road (22-36)</p>
<p>Run differential: Dodgers (+60, second in NL), Reds (-47, ninth in NL)</p>
<div class="sidebar">
<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th colspan="4">Dodgers vs. Reds 2015 </th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><u><b>Day</b></u></td>
<td align="left"><u><b>Date</b></u></td>
<td align="left"><u><b>Location</b></u></td>
<td align="left"><u><b>Time (PT)</b></u></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">Thu</td>
<td align="left">Aug 13</td>
<td align="left">Los Angeles</td>
<td align="left">7:10pm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">Fri</td>
<td align="left">Aug 14</td>
<td align="left">Los Angeles</td>
<td align="left">7:10pm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">Sat</td>
<td align="left">Aug 15</td>
<td align="left">Los Angeles</td>
<td align="left">6:10pm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">Sun</td>
<td align="left">Aug 16</td>
<td align="left">Los Angeles</td>
<td align="left">1:10pm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">Tue</td>
<td align="left">Aug 25</td>
<td align="left">Cincinnati</td>
<td align="left">4:10pm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">Wed</td>
<td align="left">Aug 26</td>
<td align="left">Cincinnati</td>
<td align="left">4:10pm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">Thu</td>
<td align="left">Aug 27</td>
<td align="left">Cincinnati</td>
<td align="left">9:35am</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<p>Runs scored: Dodgers 4.19 per game (fourth), Reds 3.93 (10th)</p>
<p>OPS+: Dodgers 110 (first), Reds 94 (seventh)</p>
<p>Runs allowed: Dodgers 3.67 (third), Reds 4.35 (10th)</p>
<p>ERA+: Dodgers 106 (fifth), Reds 97 (ninth)</p>
<p>Last 10 games: Dodgers 5-5, Reds 3-7</p>
<p>2015 head-to-head record: 0-0</p>
<p>2014 head-to-head: 4-3 Dodgers</p>
<p>Reds SB Nation site: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.redreporter.com/">Red Reporter</a></p>
<h4>Series Schedule</h4>
<p>Thursday, 7:10 p.m.: <span>Mat Latos</span> vs. <span>Keyvius Sampson</span> (SportsNet LA, MLB Network)<br>Friday, 7:10 p.m.: <span>Alex Wood</span> vs. <span>Anthony DeSclafani</span> (SportsNet LA)<br>Saturday, 6:10 p.m.: <span>Brett Anderson</span> vs. LHP <span>David Holmberg</span> (SportsNet LA)<br>Sunday, 1:10 p.m.: <span>Zack Greinke</span> vs. <span>Michael Lorenzen</span> (SportsNet LA)</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2015/8/13/9146781/dodgers-reds-series-resultsEric Stephen